On November 22, 2000,
Portland's City Council passed an ordinance formalizing the Portland Joint
Terrorism Task Force (PJTTF). The PJTTF combines the Portland Police
Bureau's eight-member Criminal Intelligence Unit with the FBI and members
of several other law enforcement agencies, deputizing the officers to give
them clearance to work on "terrorism" investigations. Note that this Task
Force was in place long before September 11, 2001.

In our program "Is Portland's 'Joint Terrorism Task
Force' Necessary?" (VB #40.11) we show the FBI testifying before City
Council. The FBI agent stated that using violence or intimidation against
businesses is one sort of "terrorist" activity they might investigate.
Given recent anti-globalization demonstrations, not to mention Portland's
pro-labor May Day 2000 march to Powell's Books, it seems the task force
might not be limited to the criminal activities usually associated with
terrorism. In fact, the original ordinance, heard at Council, specified
the PJTTF should target "left wing and right wing movements...the Earth
Liberation Front [and the] Animal Liberation Front," indicating its
real mission was to investigate political movements and
organizations, not specific crimes.

On the show, a labor organizer, an environmentalist, a
history teacher, and a civil rights activist weigh in on the PJTTF,
speaking about the FBI's past history of spying on law-abiding citizens
for expressing their political ideas. They each talk about how activism is
affected by police spying.

The ordinance was slated to expire on September 30,
2001. Despite the horrendous attacks in New York and Washington, DC,
dozens of community organizers from many "mainstream" activist groups came
out to express their concerns about the PJTTF. While it was ultimately
renewed, the message that part of our nation's democracy and security
includes the right to peaceably assemble without being monitored by the
government was heard loud and clear. The issues raised on this tape are
among the reasons the City cited as to why they refused to interview 23
immigrants who were not suspected of any criminal activity in
November.

Avoid Mainstream Media
Distraction

Media lecturer and conflict
management specialist Amanda Byron presented a workshop for the Oregon
Peace Institute in May, 2000 titled "Weapons of Mass Distraction,"
referring to biases in the mainstream media. For our two-part program
(VB #40.8&9), we added the subtitle "Media Literacy, Gender
and Violence."

While most of the images analyzed are from
magazines, Ms. Byron points out that the same stereotypes, violent images
and marketing tools are used in other forms of media including TV. The
participatory comments made by those who attended the workshop support and
expand on some of Byron's ideas.

"War On Terrorism" Mobilizes
Portland Peace March

Peace activists in Portland
pleaded with their fellow Americans to find solutions other than
retaliation to the September attacks, including the use of international
courts to bring the perpetrators to justice. When bombs began to fall on
Afghanistan, over 400 people came to an emergency demonstration. Some of
the speaking, marching, and comments from organizers featured on "Peace
Through Justice"(VB #41.5) give a voice for hope in this
turbulent time. This was the first program taped and edited for Flying
Focus by independent documentarian Lindsey Goodwin-Grayzel.

For more information on the peace movement's response
to 9-11 and the "War on Terrorism" contact Peace and Justice Works at pjw@agora.rdrop.com or (503)
236-3065; or Portland Peaceful Response at their web site www.portlandpeacefulresponse.org
or (503) 223-1399.

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Call for Volunteer Editors

Flying Focus has a great deal of raw tape from a number of events
(including conferences about the "war on terrorism" and reducing global
debt) that needs to be edited. If you have editing skills, are ceritifed
at Portland Cable Access (PCA) or can challenge their editing class, and
would be interested in helping us produce our weekly half-hour show on
social change issues, please call us. We need you!

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Rossell Blows the Whistle On OHSU

Matt Rossell is the former lab
technician at Oregon Health Sciences University's Primate Center who
exposed their cruel practices toward the monkeys they use for research. In
"Matt Rossell Exposes Animal Abuse" (VB #40.5&6) we taped Matt
at the Hollywood Theatre speaking about his attempts to improve conditions
for the monkeys and his decision to quit in a very vocal way when those
attempts were ignored and dismissed. This program includes some of the
disturbing undercover footage that he took of the monkeys in their
cramped, barren prison-like environments before he left.

Matt's disclosures started a chain of events that have
led to communal housing of some of the monkeys, in an attempt to improve
OHSU's image. Thousands are still housed in metal cages, though, and many
other conditions need to be changed.

A Culture of The Differently
Abled?

A conference held in
Portland in May, 2001 was organized for people who have various physical
and psychological abilities to examine the question as to whether they
constitute a community and if so, how could it be defined? "Diverse
Abilities: Who Defines the Box?" (VB # 41.3) features interviews and
excerpts from workshops which address these questions and more.

What makes this show even more poignant is that it was
produced by long-time Flying Focus associate Yvonne Simmons, who herself
lives with the effects of a brain injury that doctors thought would have
caused her death two years ago.

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Keeping Busy

Since our last newsletter (June 2001), Flying Focus has also videotaped
dozens of community presentations and produced shows on the February 2001
Peace Fest (VB #41.1) and Catholic Worker Petria Malone's
eyewitness
account of her trip to Colombia (VB #40.2). Our work on many of
these
programs (particularly the PJTTF show) involved over a dozen volunteers,
many of whom we have trained, coached and assisted. Thanks to everyone
involved!

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Flying Focus' 10th
"Busiversary": Ten Years of Video Activism

We were as shocked as
anyone else when the U.S. was attacked in early September, but not quite
so surprised when the U.S. bombed another country in response, even though
that country wasn't directly responsible for the attacks. One reason for
this is that while producing our weekly show, we have been covering issues
of U.S. policy for ten years, beginning with the "Gulf War" in 1991, and
have seen the U.S. intervene in Haiti, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Sudan,
Afghanistan, and Somalia.

The Collective's goal is to give voice to those who do
not appear on regular TV. We've also been busy covering issues of poverty
and homelessness, animal rights, health care alternatives, racism, sexism,
homophobia, environmental justice, media bias, and much more.

In mid-November, we produced the "Tenth
Busiversary"(VB #41.8&9), featuring a whirlwind seven
minute retrospective of our first nine years along with the 19 new
programs we produced since November, 2000. If you've never seen a Flying
Focus program before, or want to share with someone a sampling of the
breadth of our first decade, please consider ordering a copy. People who
have registered as "Friends of Flying Focus" and donated $50 in the last
12 months will receive a free copy (heck, donate $50 now and we'll ship
you one, too). Thanks to all of you who have been helping us to keep the
information flowing.

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SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE VOICES--TAPED BY FLYING FOCUS

To create positive social change, we need
a thriving community media that presents
alternative voices and ideas.

Flying Focus Video Collective records
people who challenge structures of
oppression in our society--activists,
events and concepts not represented by
mainstream media.

This work can change the world, but
only if these ideas are heard.

When you order a tape, you support real
community media, not "news" bought and
paid for by corporate interests.

You will be able to view this video where
and when you wish. And you'll be able to
share it with classmates or colleagues,
friends and family when the occasion
calls for it.